MELBOURNE, Australia—Aryna Sabalenka knows what it means to be red-carpet ready, and the world No. 1 gave a hat tip to Naomi Osaka after the two-time champion made an audacious entrance to Rod Laver Arena Tuesday night.
Wearing an ensemble in homage to jellyfish and butterflies, Osaka turned heads as she arrived on court to take on Antonia Ruzic in her first match of the 2026 Australian Open. Already into the second round, Sabalenka took it all in on the TV.
“You know, that's really beautiful about fashion that you can express yourself in any way,” Sabalenka told me after reaching the third round on Wednesday. “It's a pretty free world. There is no judgment. There is just, like, one people see fashion in one way; other people see fashion in other way. You know, that's why it's so beautiful that you can feel free and go and show yourself, show your personality.
“I think yesterday that was a perfect fit of her personality, her culture, a lot of things. That was pretty cool.”